Story: Bronte Matthews
On 29th November 2013 over thirty local residents helped to clean up the streets as part of a voluntary litter pick.
The event was organised by Somali parents with support from ITCSSS Study Support Group, Burngreave TARA and Sheffield City Council.
It took place along Grimesthorpe Road near the Vestry Hall. Around 50 bags of rubbish were collected by the team who covered over two miles of road and communal areas. The bags were filled with a mixture of sweet wrappers, drinks, food packaging and cigarette packets.
Mohamed Issa from ITCSSS Study Support, based at the Vestry Hall said,
“Parents wanted to contribute to making our area clean, we can’t just wait for the Council to clean it when there is this amount of rubbish outside. We want to set a good example for the whole community; we hope everyone will help to keep this area clean in the future.”
Jessica Thorn, Waste Management Officer, said:
“We are helping out as part of the Love Where you Live campaign, where we give advice and education to local people about waste management, such as recycling and getting rid of your rubbish correctly. Using the same approach we saw a 45% reduction in fly tipping on Verdon and Lopham Street.”
Since the litter pick there has been a significant reduction in littering and fly tipping in the area.